Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Disclaimer: I have no interest or affiliation with this company. None. Nada.

Lord knows there are lots of horse treats on the market, and Harvey has sampled most of them. He likes them all, but until I gave him this treat, he never seemed to distinguish one from another. Then, several years ago, my friend Dawn gave me several bags of Equus Magnificus (EM)as a gift. She described them as German horse muffins.

To Harvey, the term "treat" is a misnomer. It's not a treat, it's an entitlement, and once you start, you'd better keep'em coming. He wants the next one before he's done with the first. The EM muffins are different. I can give him just one, and he savors it, chewing contentedly for several minutes. He is happy with one or two. My theory is that the EM muffins send him into a state of bliss. Gooey desserts have the same effect on me.

I suspect the secret to EM muffins lies in the texture. Although I was never tempted to try one, they could almost be people treats, or at least the dough to bake into people treats. A few observations about the EM muffins...

They are oh, so soft and moist. They may look similar to another horse muffin on the market (rhymes with "thud"?), but unlike thud muffins they are not hard and pucklike. EM muffins are soft, just slightly sticky, and molasses laden.

The combination of gooey texture and sugar content encourages relaxed chewing for several minutes, the kind you like to see under saddle. I give Harv one before I ride, instead of a sugar cube.

They look homemade, not processed or manufactured.

They are reasonably priced. You can get a small bag, straight from the manufacturer, for less than a fiver. Large econo-sized buckets are also available. I like the small bags because they are airtight -- but I buy them by the case.

They have a loyal customer base. I buy them as gifts for Christmas (the bags are really attractive), and the recipient nearly always asks where to get them. I used to buy in bulk and sell (at cost) to friends who had tried them.

These muffins are available in some stores (check the web site). But there are cost advantages to ordering directly: Equus Magnificus, Inc.11520 Grenelefe Ave. N.White Bear Lake, MN 55110 info@equusmagnificus.com